A Sorcerers Hand
by I.thought.slash.meant.horror
Summary: Arthur's quite fed up with Merlin being a horrible swordsman and offends him. But when he goes to *cough**splutter* ugh... apologise, he realises something more about Merlin than even his manservant knew... And it just might be the death of them both. No Slash.
1. A Sorcerers Hand

**A/N: **This is based on a few things but mainly – how Merlin got better at a sword.

Sort of set between Seasons 3 & 4.

And don't worry, I'm updating Other Version as we... Speak? Read? Write?… This was just a plot bunny that was jumping around annoyingly.

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**A Sorcerers Hand**

"Again _Mer_lin!"

The shout Arthur yelled across the training field made the manservant roll his eyes and try lunging for the training dummy again, but it only came out crooked and lopsided and the attack had no real strength behind it. "Stop hitting the dummy like a girl!"

Merlin turned and glared at Arthur. "I'm trying here!"

"Try harder, you idiot!"

Muttering under his breath about all the different types of toads he'd like to turn Arthur into one day, Merlin lunged with the sword again but it made no difference. His aim was askew and he couldn't control the sword properly. It kept flying all over the place.

Arthur stormed over and glared, "How the hell are you supposed to be the manservant to the Prince Regent of Camelot if you can't bloody use a sword!"

Merlin wanted to point out he was good at magic and had saved Arthur's life with it many times, but bit his tongue. "Don't know sire. I'll just run and hide behind a tree like I always do, then." He went to put away the swords but Arthur shoved him back in front of the dummy.

"No. You shan't. Try again." If Arthur was being honest with himself, a large part of what he was doing had to do with his constant fear that Merlin was always going to be injured whenever he was fighting and had no way of defending himself. He couldn't go and commission him armour because how the hell would that look?

But he could teach him how to defend himself.

But Merlin's skill was… Arthur didn't think horrendous began to cover it. His footwork was off and his aim… He managed to hit things but many of Arthur's squires could best him and some of them were ten. He wanted to smack his head and give up, but he was stubborn and a Pendragon and Pendragon's _didn't_ give up.

"_Why_ are you so hopeless Merlin?" Arthur snapped and it seemed, it was the final straw for his manservant.

"You know what? I have been injured once, scratched twice and kidnapped… that doesn't matter how many times." Merlin shouted at Arthur. "I think after four years of being your manservant, I'm doing pretty well for myself. In fact, I'm the longest manservant you've bloody well ever had and that must be a miracle somehow on my part. So seriously, I don't need all of this." He threw down the sword, embedding it in the grass and yanked a parchment from his shirt. "Now I have work to do for Gaius. He doesn't yell at me and make me feel like an idiot… all the time."

He turned and stormed off, heading out towards Darkling Forest and Arthur watched him storm off, not even stumbling as he went.

He sighed and felt bad for a moment, then ordered a servant passing by to clean up all the training equipment. He picked up Merlin's sword, planning to hand it to him in a peace offering, and went to… ugh… hem… um… *cough*… _apologise_… to his manservant, and followed him to where he normally picked herbs from.

He found Merlin standing next to a tree, scraping off some bark, muttering angrily as he did so. He either didn't notice Arthur's approach or did and ignored it. He had the parchment in his right hand, steadying it against the tree as his left hand used a knife to scrape away at the bark. "What _are_ you collecting?"

Merlin turned and spotted Arthur and made a face. He turned back to the tree and kept scraping. "Oak bark. Its smoke has healing properties."

"Huh." Arthur leant against the closest tree. "Never knew."

"That's because you're an uneducated dollop-head."

"I'm better educated than you." Arthur snorted.

"Hmm. Really?" Merlin pointedly glared at him. "You didn't know this was an oak tree until I told you, did you?"

Arthur shrugged. "All trees are the same."

"Yep. Thought so." Merlin was collecting a whole fragment of bark, scraping around the corners and dislodging the top half of the piece.

After watching him work quite astutely, skinning the tree of its top layer like one would an animal, Arthur saw something that his manservant was relatively good at and wondered how he accomplished so much yet still couldn't swing a sword. "I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings." Arthur said, looking anywhere but Merlin.

The younger man stopped and turned to look at Arthur, a frown on his face. "What did you say?"

"I said… look, don't make me repeat it." The word 'sorry' felt like one of Gaius' potions in his mouth. "Just accept that I said it and come back and train."

"What, so you can yell at me?" Merlin rolled his eyes. "I get quite enough of that just working normally, thank you very much."

"_Mer_lin." Arthur grumbled.

"I have to collect these things for Gaius before sunset anyway." Merlin said, waving the list around. "So… no." He turned back to his delicate work and Arthur, being fed up, snatched the parchment away from Merlin and tried reading it.

"Did Gaius write this with his foot?" Arthur asked, glaring at the horrible handwriting. "_Gar-lic f-f-flower_?" he tried to sound out the word, written in horrifyingly lopsided writing. "It looks like a blind monk tried to use a quill."

"Actually…" Merlin snatched the parchment back. "That would be my handwriting you're offending."

Arthur balked but saw the angry look on Merlin's face and quickly schooled his features. "Yes. Well… It's very… modern of you."

Merlin rolled his eyes. "I know my writing is atrocious. Gaius calls it chicken scratch. I can't help it. I've sat and practiced for hours. That's as neat as I can get it." He started to peel back the bark and it came off in a large parchment sized chunk. He then lodged the knife back into the side of the bark to slowly cut away the underneath.

Arthur frowned and noticed Merlin was holding the knife with his left hand. He'd seen it before but this time it occurred to him what it meant. "Which hand do you hold your sword with?" Arthur asked.

Merlin shrugged and answered, "My right… why?"

"Then why are you holding your knife with your left?"

Merlin looked down at his hand and then back at Arthur and shrugged. "I don't know really… I think I was just taught to do it like this."

"No… I've seen Gaius rip away bark. He does it with his right." Arthur spoke slowly as if talking to a child. "You write with your right hand too?"

"I'm right handed."

Arthur smacked his head and nodded for Merlin to finish what he was doing. He snapped off the last piece of the bark and slid it into his satchel then watched as Arthur beckoned him over to a small clearing. "Do something quickly." Arthur said and Merlin sighed, willing to comply if only to hurry things along. "Stand perfect still, both your feet together. Good. Now up straight."

Merlin did as he was told, feet stuck together by the ankle. "Now when I say run, bolt and when I say stop, come back to that exact same position. Alright?" Merlin frowned but agreed. "Now… run." Arthur ordered and Merlin lunged forward but a second later, Arthur called out, "Stop." With a slightly annoyed expression he stopped and straightened up, ankles glue together. "Alright… run. Stop." Merlin only got one foot forward before he was forced to bring his feet back together. "Run. Stop… Run. Stop." Merlin scowled.

"I knew it." Arthur grinned, noticing each time he ran, Merlin fell on his left leg first. He still had Merlin's sword from earlier in his hand and passed it over, pommel first to his manservant. "I don't have time for this." Merlin argued but Arthur shoved the sword closer to him.

"Humour me for one more minute." he waited and with a growl, Merlin took the sword in his right hand and stood in the stance he'd been taught. Arthur walked forward and switched the sword from Merlin's right hand to his left and rearranged his feet accordingly.

"Arthur…?" Merlin said, more than a little annoyed. "What are you…?" Arthur withdrew his own sword and stood across from him.

"Try and hit me now."

"But-"

"Just do it. I won't let you hurt me."

Merlin looked down at the unfamiliar grip in his hands but at the same time as being strange, it fit. He winced at the way the sword was comfortable in his hands and lunged forward in the first striking position. Arthur easily deflected it, but there was strength and aim in Merlin's grip. "Good." Arthur grinned. "Again."

The two men sparred for some of the afternoon, until the sun started setting and things got dark. "You're actually a descent swordsman, Merlin." Arthur laughed, beads of sweat on his forehead and Merlin stared at his hands, a little stunned and proud of himself. "You're just left handed."

At those words, Merlin dropped the sword like it burnt and flinched away. Arthur immediately frowned and went over to Merlin but he pulled away before he could put his hand on his shoulder. "You're left handed, Merlin. Not dying."

Merlin shook his head. "You don't understand…"

"No. No I don't." Arthur crossed his arms over his chest. "Explain it."

"I'm right-handed, Arthur… Just. Leave it at that." He went to collect the sword but Arthur put his foot on top of it to stop him.

"No you're not." he said, a little angrily. "How have I upset you now? I helped you figure out why your handwriting is so appalling and your swordsmanship is even worse. I've even given you an advantage. Rarely is anyone used to fighting a left-handed swordsman and they'll be expecting attacks from the wrong side. I swear, you're such a girl."

"During the Great Purge, people were suspected of magic if they were left handed." Merlin snapped. Arthur reeled back, surprised by the sudden change of attitude. "More magic users are left handed than right, non-magic users the opposite. There were people from my village… bounty hunters came, looking to make money from Camelot and the Purge… if they were left handed they were taken on the suspicion for having magic and the King paid a handsome reward. Will and I were taught not to use our left hand's for anything so I learnt with my right."

Merlin looked up at Arthur, his eyes pleading with him somewhat. "I'm not left handed."

The Prince took a hesitant step towards Merlin who looked like a frightened rabbit. He took another step when Merlin's shoulders relaxed then picked up the sword and lodged it straight into Merlin's left hand. "I haven't heard of anyone being executed for being left handed. Ever. A few of the knights are left-handed and none of them are on the pyre. I know Ealdor is different and I'm… I'm sure after my father ordered the deaths of those villagers, despite the lack of evidence, but I swear that won't be you.

"If you need to defend yourself against anyone, I want you to be prepared and I don't care what hand you use. If I ever find out you were hurt because you tried to use your right-handed grip, I'll kill you myself. Do you understand?"

Merlin smiled a little and nodded, looking down at the sword. "Gaius is going to kill me first though. I have none of his herbs."

Arthur chuckled and pulled Merlin into a headlock, dragging him along. "Don't worry. I'll make up some story about chores I gave you."

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**A/N: **I know, I know… Merlin is right handed, but I was inspired the other day. My kid-cousin lives with me and I'm sort of his pseudo-parent and I was trying to do the right thing and help him with his homework. His handwriting was shocking so and me, (don't sue me, I'm nineteen looking after a nine year old) decided to tell him just how horrible it was. He cried, and then I realised he was holding his pencil all wrong and it kept slipping from him.

That was how we made the discovery, my cousin is left-handed and he only wrote with his right hand because that was what he was taught to do.

Nowadays, no one really cares about whether you're a righty or a lefty, but I know that in ancient myths, Left-Handed people were suspected of magic and sorcery so double that with Uther and the Great Purge… tada! Plot bunny.

Review please!

Much love,

Ithoughtslashmeanthorror.


	2. A Sorcerers Duel

**A/N: **I'm a part time tutor and I was tutoring Scripture and Religion and teaching the kid how to look up phrases in the bible. By chance, Micah 5:12 was one of them and I thought, "That's cool." Then… Plot Bunny Attack. Don't worry OVoE fans… updates will happen soon! Just _chill..._ This isn't going to be too long and won't take away from my other updates.

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**A Sorcerers Duel**

And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand, and thou shalt have no more Soothsayers. _Micah Chapter 5 Verse 12_

"Right. Left. Your stomach. Right shoulder. Leg. Other leg! _Again_, Merlin. But this time, mean it."

Arthur didn't want to say he was proud. Pride _wasn't_ the warm boastful emotion that was humming underneath her chest. No, Arthur wasn't the slightest bit pleased with the fact his bumbling servant who had little to no self-preservation on normal terms, was attacking and defending himself, like a knight in training as Arthur swung at him.

Of course, Arthur called out his attacks as he made them because of the amount of times that he bruised Merlin was starting to affect his efforts in his duties, but the point was _he was fighting back!_ He actually hit Arthur a few times, without the Prince suspecting it though no one was ever going to tell Merlin that_ ever_, on pain of death.

But it was all to do with the fact that Arthur, in all his brilliance had seen that his manservant was left handed. So just because he was beaming, it had nothing to do with Merlin's newfound excellence with a sword, it was all to do with the fact that Arthur was purely brilliant.

"I think we're done for the day." Arthur grinned, watching Merlin pant a little as he put his hands on his knees. Arthur was slightly breathless as well, but keen not to show it. "You did… well." he settled on. "Not as good as any of my knights but –"

"I'll take that compliment." Merlin said, scooping up a water skin from the sidelines and drinking deeply. "It's a lot, coming from you." He handed the water skin out and Arthur took it and drank the rest.

"Thanks." Arthur grinned and Merlin reached out to swipe him, but the Prince just managed to jump back and wore a mock look of surprise. "Bet you seven silvers you can't catch me."

"Bet you ten I can." Merlin grunted, then took off after Arthur as he bolted up to the castle. The Prince took the long way, through the market place, dodging in and out of stalls and Merlin stumbled once or twice, and jumped over a numerous amount of crates.

They made it to the bridge and Merlin just managed to grab the collar of Arthur's jacket and tug him back. They both laughed and slowed into a jog, Arthur conceding with a grin that his manservant won the bet. "How come you're never that fast at bringing my dinner?" Arthur laughed.

"Because it includes carrying a heavy tray of food that I wish to keep on the plate. Unless you're not partial to eating food collected from the floor."

"Have you ever done that?"

Merlin just smirked and shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. You'll never know."

"_Mer_lin." Arthur scolded. "I swear, I sometimes think I'm better off getting another manservant."

"Then you'd be bored."

"True… But I wouldn't be eating off the floor."

They had just walked into the courtyard, a little sweaty and tired from training and running through the castle, when Leon breathlessly ran over and said, "Sire. The council wishes to speak with you presently. The matter is urgent."

The Prince and his manservant looked at each other before looking back at Leon, not knowing just how urgent the matter would become.

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Arthur frowned at Leon's panicked expression. "What is it?" he demanded.

"A sorcerer was caught and brought into the castle for burning." Neither the Knight nor the Prince noticed Merlin stiffen ever so slightly beside them as his attention was drawn into the conversation. "He has escaped and cut the bells before he left."

"So no one can sound out an alarm." Arthur glanced at Merlin. "Go. Get my armour and sword and meet me outside the council chambers once you've done so."

With a small nod, Merlin followed the instruction, turning his head back to look at Arthur and Leon as the took the stairs by two to go find the armour and get back, maybe before the council started their explanation of what the sorcerer had done. With the King still unable to rule, the shock of Morgana still foremost in his mind, it was a combination of Arthur and the council who took his place, the Prince also taking up the role of Regent until his father got better, Arthur insisting daily that he would.

The young manservant darted into Arthur's chambers, not paying attention to where he was going and not thinking for one moment there was someone waiting for him in the room. As he stepped inside, a hand came from around the door and shoved him up against the wall, choking him. Merlin didn't gather much except for the gold flash and the slam of the door, before the fingers around his neck tightened and he dropped the sword from training in surprise. "Who are you?"

He gasped and kicked his feet back, a good distance off the ground and tried pushing himself upwards to adjust the grip and get some air. He didn't even have the slip that the neckerchief would have caused around his attackers hands for protection, having pocketed his red scarf during training. Finally, Merlin was able to glimpse down, despite his darkening vision, and saw the man below him. It wasn't someone Merlin had ever seen in the castle before, so he assumed it was the sorcerer from the dungeons. He had a head of dark brown hair, peppered with grey and the matching colours framing his lips in the form of a beard. "Are you the Prince of Camelot?" the sorcerer growled.

Realising this man had come for Arthur and not knowing quite what else to do, Merlin patted his arm in the affirmative, unable to even nod. The sorcerer narrowed his eyes, looking over Merlin's scruffy clothing and then threw him across the room. Merlin landed inside the – thankfully – unlit fireplace with a crash but awkwardly, feeling his arm snap into some god-awful position. "No. You aren't. _Cwicsúsl_**.**" he snapped, narrowing his eyes. They burnt gold again and Merlin cried out as it felt pain as though every bone in his body was snapping. "Where is the Prince?" he demanded.

Merlin looked up and panted through the pain, refusing to give in. "I'll never tell you."

"Loyal, I see." The sorcerer tilted his head down and grinned with malice. "It will be your downfall."

Merlin sat up on his good arm, his left one, and thought of the irony momentarily. He glanced up at the sorcerer and growled, "No. It will be yours. _Astrice!_"

Not expecting Merlin to attack back with magic, the sorcerer was caught off guard and crashed into Arthur's desk, breaking it. Merlin pulled himself up and out of the fireplace and stumbled, his body still wracking from the last spell. "You… you're a sorcerer." the man said, stunned as he lifted his head up from the desk.

"Warlock." Merlin spat out, then heaved up nothing. While he was doubled, he heard the sorcerer mutter something and looked up to see one of Arthur's swords flying his way.

As quick as anything, he dodged it and then threw it back. It smashed through the window and wordlessly, he flicked the sorcerer back into the wall, then continued retching, hands on knees. "You must be quite powerful…" the sorcerer grunted, sitting up again. "To keep attacking me. That spell I used on you… most magic users wouldn't be able to _touch_ their magic again."

Merlin stood up and glared, trying to straighten up as much as he could. "Really? Then why use it on a simple mortal then?"

"It still hurts." he said snidely. "_Cwicsúsl!_" he repeated and Merlin threw up a shield but felt it shatter and fell back as once again, the bone breaking magic ached his insides. He gasped and arched up, trying to fight but nothing was working.

Meanwhile, he heard the sorcerer approach him and drag out a weapon from its sheath. "What are you doing working for the Pendragon's anyway?" he demanded, falling to his knees, straddling Merlin's left arm. With a gasp, Merlin struggled to pull away but the spell was wrapping around his magic now and he felt himself choking again for entirely different reasons. "Does your Prince know? Does he know he's in the presence of everything his Kingdom despises?"

Merlin twisted his head around and saw that, in his hands, the sorcerer held a dagger. He forced Merlin's palm flat, reaching upwards and doubled over like a child leaning to find something under a bed or a chair, back to him. "Do you feel the noose at night when you imagine what he would do should he find out?"

He screamed out in pain as the dagger carved through his left hand a pattern he could not see. "Do you think he would accept you? Do you think he'll care as he watches you burn?"

Warm blood seeped out of his palm and Merlin felt something else happening within him as the dagger carved open his skin. Merlin tilted his head towards the door and saw the sword he'd dropped laying not too far away, discarded beside the wall. "You are foolish for believing so and a traitor for watching your people die."

Merlin held his arm out to the sword, trying to inch further but the weight of the sorcerer on his arm was pinning him down. With the last bit of his magic that he could feel, he stretched his arm out and beckoned the sword to him. With a flash of gold, it obeyed his command and Merlin just caught onto the hilt.

Whilst he wasn't the best of swordsmen with his right hand, it didn't take much skill for him to thrust the hilt up and down through flesh. He knew that from four years of doing just that and coming out relatively unscathed. Though his lack of precision and technique, plus his weariness and the fact the sword was heavily blunted meant that instead of piercing the heart as he'd wished, he'd only managed to pass the sword through the shoulder.

The sorcerer gasped in surprise and dropped his own dagger, pulling forward so the sword fell out of his shoulder. Merlin's right arm fell across his body, his eyes heavy with exhaustion. "You will pay for this." the sorcerer growled and went to pick up his dagger but heard something outside. He looked down at his injured shoulder and then to Merlin, deciding against it.

Before he made his escape, he slammed his foot down on Merlin's wrist, breaking it with his heel and then vanished into thin air and Merlin finally welcomed in unconsciousness.

* * *

Arthur spoke to the council and the Sorcerer was declared dangerous, having slaughtered a village and then willingly taken by the knights of Camelot for execution. "Wait." Arthur stopped Lord Eldridge in the midst of his explanation with a single motion of his hand. "You're saying this sorcerer came _willingly_."

"Yes." Eldridge said, a little stunned. "He knew that he stood no chance against our knights and forfeited."

There was a scoff from the side of the chambers and Arthur looked to see Gwaine smacking his head lightly and he couldn't help but agree with the sentiment. "After slaughtering an entire village of men and women, he saw Camelot's knights and thought, 'hmm, better not', only to come into Camelot where there are more knights and _escape_?" Arthur stared all the stuffy and plump Lords and Nobles down and they just merely shrugged between them all. "You _idiots_ it's a trap!" Before any of his father's most loyal advisors could look affronted, Arthur turned to his knights.

"Leon, head a battalion and have the entirety of Camelot searched. The vaults first. There are a great amount of treasures the magical community have tried to get access to before. Bedivere, you and Kay head a search of every level of this castle. I do not want a single room unaccounted for. Percival and Owain, you two to my fathers room, immediately. Double the guard. Lancelot and Elyan, you both know the town better than the rest of us. Take to the streets with the men. Gwaine, with me."

They all nodded and departed, Arthur stepping out of the council and coming to a halt. "Where in Gods name is _Mer_lin." he growled, still unarmed and only holding a blunted training sword. He spun it once in his arms out of nerves then turned to Gwaine. "Follow me. I'll have to head him off and just grab my sword."

"What are we doing, Princess?" Gwaine asked with a small bounce in his step.

"He's obviously passed the bell tower." Arthur said. "Maybe there's a clue left there."

"Heading the search with just the two of us? Daring. I like it." Gwaine grinned. "Though Merlin is missing from our little adventure trio."

"Don't worry a single strand of your shaggy head, Gwaine." Arthur wore the fakest smile he could muster. "I'll make sure Merlin is very involved in this adventure. I may send him to dungeons alone in shackles, he'll be so involved."

Gwaine made a face. "That's no fun."

With an exasperated sigh, he didn't even try explaining to Gwaine running a kingdom was not supposed to be fun. Instead he headed closer and closer to his chambers with no sign of Merlin or his bumbling ways. By the time he reached his chambers, he was furious to the point beyond imagining. There was a crazed sorcerer running about Camelot and his manservant had just decided to slack off.

Angrily, he forced the door open but then halted once again, Gwaine walking into his back as he froze in shock. "Merlin." he gasped, and every angry thought he'd had escaped him in a sigh of panic that left him breathless. Behind him Gwaine swore, not only at the upturned desk and the broken mantel of the fireplace, but at Merlin.

His body was blooming in bruises, his neck the worst of them all and Arthur angrily noted the fingerprints that dug into the delicate flesh. His sword arm was absent of a sword but instead, had blood pouring from a sickly drawn carving in his palm that made Arthur's own goose flesh rise and left an ominous feeling in his stomach. His other arm was broken, forearm bent at the wrong angle and draped over his stomach, but he still held his blunted training sword, the tip of it bleeding onto the floor.

Gwaine's sword had been withdrawn behind him and after looking around to make sure the attacker was still not in the room, Arthur rushed to Merlin's side and held his hand over his mouth to feel for breath.

It was faint, short and shallow and he knew immediately Merlin needed Gaius quickly. "Gwaine. Get the door." he ordered as he dislodged the sword Merlin still held in a tight grip. "Hurry." As he stood he lifted Merlin up too, head cradled on his shoulder and blood dripping from his hand as it fell by his side.

The manservant roused a little as Arthur stormed through the halls and looked up briefly. "Ar…" was all he managed to get out but the Prince still understood.

"I'm taking you to Gaius." Arthur said, going as fast as his legs would carry him without jostling Merlin further. "You'll be all right Merlin."

"Sorc…" he started and fought to stay awake. "Sorcerer… kill… you."

"He hasn't killed me." Arthur said softly, unsure of what Merlin was talking about or what he'd endured at the hands of the sorcerer. "It's all right." he hushed.

Blindly, Merlin shook his head, letting it flop again Arthur's shoulder. "No." he said stubbornly. "Wants… kill… you…"

Gwaine's eyes darted down to Merlin then back at Arthur. "The Sorcerer was looking for you."

Understanding crossed over Arthur's features and he adjusted Merlin and simply picked up his pace.

In Gaius's chambers, Arthur pushed passed Gwaine as he held the door open and ignored the surprised look on the physician's face as he took Merlin inside and lowered him onto the table. "Sire?" Gaius asked. "What happened?"

"The sorcerer was in my chambers. I'd sent Merlin up to get my armour and sword and quite clearly, he was attacked." Arthur looked over his shoulder at Gwaine. "Go tell the other knights that the sorcerer is injured and extremely dangerous. Have the word spread quickly."

With a small nod and a forlorn look at Merlin, Gwaine disappeared from the chambers whilst Gaius set about his work, stemming the blood flow from the hand before checking if there was anymore serious damage down. As he was inspecting Merlin for the source of the bruising and whether or not there was anything else broken apart from his very obvious arm, Arthur asked him, "What happened to him? I'd guess this was a beat, but the only sign of hand marks are around his neck."

"I believe it to be a spell, sire." Gaius said and swiftly found no broken bones in his ribs or life threatening internal damage, apart from Merlin's entire system being tender. "There is no real physical or permanent damage but Merlin will be unable to move properly for quite some time. Every inch of him is bruised and swelling and he appears to have breaks in both arms." Arthur could see, his Merlin's eyes slightly puffier than usual and his normally snow blown skin, purple and blue and darkening by the minute.

Arthur stared as Gaius set about making Merlin better in silence and then heard a knock on the door. When he turned he saw Leon stepping inside, a tight look on his face. "I'll post a guard at the door. Send word when he wakes up." Arthur said stiffly to Gaius, looking down at his manservant once again. He held back the temptation to squeeze his ankle in reassurance and turned, going up to meet Leon and, behind the door, Gwaine and Elyan.

"He's fled the citadel." Leon said quietly.

Elyan nodded in agreement. "He appeared randomly in an apothecary store near the edge of the lower town, bleeding and stumbling. He stole ingredients the storeowner agreed could be used for a healing spell."

Gwaine snorted appreciatively. "Whatever our Merlin did, he injured him greatly and he's retreated." Arthur looked over his shoulder at the door thinking, _our Merlin's been injured greatly too._

* * *

**A/N: **This _may_ turn out to be a reveal fic... Just go with me on this journey and tell me what you think about our left handed warlock and his Prince with a review.

Much love once more,

ithoughtslashmeanthorror


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